Broken
by zero-damage
Summary: Persona 4. An AU retelling of the Inaba investigation, with a very different villain.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First attempt posting a fic at this site, so I can test out the chapter structure. AU Kanji/Naoto + ensemble fic, much drama and angst, three chapters. Hope someone here enjoys it. T-rated for language.

* * *

**[now]**

By the time Kanji makes it inside the room, alone, one of her hands is already through the screen.

The words choke him, wedge tight in his throat, make him think he's forgotten how to breathe. "W-wait, Naoto, don't--"

She shakes her head. "I have to go. I'm sorry."

He should stop her, but his feet won't move. The screen crackles with static, giving off a strained, fuzzy light that casts strange shadows across the floor. Naoto looks back at him one more time - hollow, Kanji thinks, and it all makes so much _sense_ - then turns and jumps inside the television.

* * *

**[then]**

Naoto shows up at school in September, just like that - unannounced and perfectly composed, the unflappable boy detective.

But there are a few things that just don't seem right; like how he stands alone in the corridor during breaks, how cold he is towards the girls who chase him, how he always seems to be thinking. Maybe he's lonely. And sure, Kanji's still crushing, and hard, but doesn't mean they can't be friends, provided he can get over all that stuttering and blushing crap.

It's a nice idea. A week later, he still hasn't psyched himself up enough to actually believe it.

But it's not like Naoto's ever going to come to him, and it's that knowledge that gives Kanji the burst of courage he needs. Early one morning, he finally manages to approach Naoto in the corridor and strike up a conversation - or something approaching it. "Hey. S'up?"

There's no response.

"Uh, Naoto?"

They're less than a meter apart, but Naoto just keeps looking at the wall. He doesn't react until Kanji walks directly in front of him, and all that earns is a quirked eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Uh...I was wonderin', do, do you want..." Kanji swallows, willing the heat away from his cheeks. "There's a bunch of us going to Aiya tonight. Few of the guys y'met at Junes. W-want to come?"

Naoto looks up at him, expression perfectly blank. "Will Seta be there?"

Kanji's heart sinks. It's always Souji. "I-I dunno. He's kinda busy lately."

There's a moment's pause before Naoto nods. His gaze drifts back to the wall. "I imagine so. Dojima-san never leaves the station."

"Yeah." Conversation's never come easy to Kanji and he's desperately trying to think of a way to keep this one going. "I, I feel bad for him though. That cop, Adachi. He was kind of an asshole, but he didn't deserve that."

Naoto says nothing.

* * *

**[now]**

It's three in the morning. Kanji can't sleep, knows he won't be able to - so he sits on the edge of his bed, turning over the pocketwatch in his hands.

It's nothing special; just cheap metal and tarnished with age. Two years after his old man died, he found it in a box in the attic. He was searching for some old sewing machine parts, maybe, he doesn't remember - and instead he found some dumb broken watch that made his Ma cry when she saw it. Later she told him it was his old man's, told Kanji he should take it, his father would've wanted that. Kanji was still pissed at the old man for up and dying, so he just left the watch on the dresser and forgot about it.

Late in November, Naoto saw it there and picked it up. Asked him how long it'd been stopped. Years, he told her. Wasn't gonna start again.

_Time runs out for everything_, she said. Kanji didn't understand; figured she was just being weird. She got like that sometimes, thought about things too hard. Then she asked if she could take it home, look at it for him. Perhaps she could repair it.

Sure, Kanji said. Wasn't like she'd be able to fix something dead as long as his father, but he didn't have any use for it.

Naoto just shrugged. Two days later, she brought back the watch, ticking steady in the palm of her hand.

* * *

**[then]**

After Kanji finds out he's a she, not much changes, other than him being majorly pissed off for a while. One hell of a shock at first, though - and Naoto's probably even angrier than him.

"I do not require your assistance," he - _she_ - snaps, glaring at Yukiko and Rise - but she's staggering like her legs won't hold her up, so Kanji wraps his arm round her back and practically drags her out of Junes. Yukiko eventually gets out of her where she lives and they take her home. Big apartment block a good half-hour walk away. The whole trip there, Kanji feels like there's something he's supposed to say, like he saw something he shouldn't have, even moreso than with Rise - but her and Yukiko are talking to Naoto instead, telling her not to worry, she'll feel better in a while, and he doesn't have chance to speak.

"Do you have your keys, Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asks outside the front door.

Naoto insists again that it's fine, she doesn't need anyone's help, they need to go away and leave her alone. She's got one hand clutching Kanji's shoulder, head tilted towards the floor - but he still sees her wince when Rise tells her to stop being difficult and calls her _Missy_ for the second time that night.

* * *

**[now]**

Kanji doesn't get why Souji's making them train, because it's not like they're going to need to fight. If they just go in and talk to Naoto, they can fix everything. But no matter how many times he explains this, Senpai just doesn't listen - and they're in the television for six days straight.

Nobody else wants to be there either. Chie doesn't hop about, Yosuke doesn't crack jokes and Rise doesn't flirt. The runs through the old worlds - under the strobe lights of the strip-club, over the block floors of the dungeon, through the steam of the bathhouse - all pass in silence.

Finally, a full week later and just when Kanji's on the verge of jumping in himself, Souji finally decides they're ready.

The fog's left Junes almost empty, and the team have the electronics department almost to themselves. In front of the television, nobody says or does much of anything beyond a few grim nods. Instead they just line up in front of the screen without a word - but as the others step through, one-by-one, Kanji pulls Souji aside.

"Naoto didn't have to tell us," he says, willing his senpai to listen just this once. "We wouldn't have guessed, not till she gave us those hints. She didn't have to."

For a long moment, Souji just stares at him. "We'll do what we need to," he finally says - and a cold, tight fist clenches inside Kanji's chest.

* * *

**[then]**

Naoto comes back to school soon after they rescue her, even joins the team, but she always looks tired. Kind of thin as well. Thinking about it, Kanji can't remember seeing any cooking equipment in the apartment kitchen when they took her home. The place looked like nobody lived there.

The thought nags at him for days. Eventually - partly because he's worried, partly because he's sick of thinking about it - he mans up and takes a box of shrimp and rice over to her apartment one Sunday morning.

Naoto refuses to open the door at first. Tells him she's just fine, he should go home. Kanji's a persistent guy, though, and he stands outside for almost half an hour before she finally takes the door off the latch and lets him in. Doesn't actually _speak_ to him, of course; just sits back on the sofa, picks up her newspaper and reads it in silence. She doesn't even thank him for the food - though Kanji thinks he catches her once or twice, watching him over the top of the paper. Wishful thinking. Dumb old Tatsumi, crushing so hard he doesn't care that his would-be-boyfriend's a girlfriend or that she barely pays him any attention.

Then, one day - the fifth time he visits her - Naoto actually _thanks_ him.

Kanji feels like he's smashed a hundred Shadows into space. Then she asks him why he keeps coming over and he chokes out something about the store being quiet lately. Luckily, Naoto takes him at his word. Every visit after that, they sit and talk together - and one time when he brings over a ton of late homework for English class he still hasn't finished, she even offers to help.

He knows he isn't the sharpest guy in the world, not like Souji, and the work takes way longer than it should. Naoto's patient, though. They sit together on the sofa, textbook on the table, and she talks him through every exercise he's missed. It's not that Kanji's ungrateful, and he honestly tries to pay attention - but all the stuff he really needs Naoto to explain has nothing to do with school. He wants to know why she pretended to be a guy, why she's cold to everyone, why she always looks so tired.

Instead he asks, "How'd you figure it out? That people who were on TV got kidnapped?"

She shrugs. "Following your disappearance and then Kujikawa's, the connection became obvious." The pages of the textbook rustle between her fingers. "And I'd already started watching the Midnight Channel. I was told about it when I arrived in Inaba."

"By the cops?"

Naoto pauses. "No. The attendant at the gas station."

* * *

**[now]**

Inside the television, there's nothing for the team to do but wait.

Rise's still upset, still not on form, so Teddie helps her scan with Himiko, or at least encourages her. All she needs is one trace of Naoto, one little hook to latch onto.

"Should be easier than last time." Yosuke's fidgeting with his knives and staring at the floor. "We didn't know her then."

Nobody points out the irony. Nobody says much of anything, really. Dead silence hangs heavy over the backlot, broken only by shuffling feet, the sound of Yosuke's knives scraping together and the slight hum of energy as Himiko scans.

Silence isn't a problem, though, not when Kanji's got nothing left to say. The way they're all not quite looking at him is much worse.

"Found her," Rise says quietly.

* * *

**[then]**

Maybe it pisses Naoto off - it's hard to tell what she's thinking - but Kanji tries to look after her, inside the television and out. Keeps taking her food, watches out for her when she's training, tries to hang around her during breaks without it looking creepy. Rise and Yosuke both tease him for it, say that big bad Kanji-kun's soft in the head, but there's no harm meant.

Naoto doesn't seem to notice all the little things, but she also doesn't push him away. They even spend time together on the days they aren't busting heads inside the TV, mostly because she's always wandering around the south end of the shopping district. Kanji figures it's fine to go down and see her, nothing meant by it, just two friends bumping into each other in town.

"Yeah, every single time she's there," Rise says with a smirk, when she catches him waving to Naoto at the bus stop and he tries out his excuse. In retrospect, it was a lousy one.

When Yosuke enters all the girls in the October pageant, Naoto refuses outright, even when Chie lays on the pressure. Kanji thinks he gets why. Admittedly, he spends most of the contest wishing she hadn't, but there's no chance she'd have stayed for Teddie's section anyway. Thing is, she could have won. The girls still chase her, no matter how cold she acts. Maybe they like the image - the dark and brooding 'Detective Prince' - but Kanji just wants to see her smile for once.

Later that night, when Yukiko invites them to the hot springs, Naoto refuses again. She has to work, she says, and Kanji knows it's a lie. The cops threw her off the case two months ago, and from what he can tell she hasn't been back to the police station since. So he tries to talk her into joining in - it'd be good for her, team outing and all - but the edge in her voice and the way her jaw tightens tells him to let it slide.

"Should've gone," he says to her a week later, during lunch on the school roof. "Not the contest, the springs. It was fun." Except for the whole buckets at the head part, but at least the girls had apologized later.

Naoto shakes her head. "There are more important things to think about. Time is short."

The case. Man, she's always harping on it. "S'okay to have fun though, right?"

"I don't see the fun in bathing with girls," she mutters.

Her expression doesn't shift, but something in her answer still bothers him. Kanji makes the first dumb joke he can think up - some line about Teddie fainting if he ever heard her say that - and when Naoto manages a half-smile, the tension broken, he can't help grinning back.

* * *

**[now]**

When Rise leads the team through the portal, Kanji's expecting to end up at the lab again. Except there's no green glow, no metal floors - just a dimly lit room lined floor to ceiling with shelves of leather-bound books. The air smells of dust and old ink, and a mahogany desk stands along the far wall, each leg carved with ornate patterns.

"You took your time."

The team turn as one towards the voice. Naoto's leaning against a bookshelf - arms folded and face impassive, her eyes glowing dull amber in the dim shadows by the portal.

"Naoto." Souji's voice is like granite, and Kanji thinks of Namatame. "We just want to talk."

"I doubt that."

"The hell's with this place?" Kanji snaps. In truth, he couldn't care less if they were at a damn circus, but he's desperate to keep Naoto talking. Just like always.

Naoto walks over to the desk, then pushes herself up on her arms to perch on top. "I've mentioned before that I used to read detective novels. This is where. Or at least it's a convincing replica. Certain details are inaccurate, but..." She trails off, gaze fixed on the grandfather clock standing against the opposite wall.

Chie makes a step forward, though Yukiko grabs her arm before she can take a second. "Naoto-kun...this isn't right."

"Please don't call me that. Naoto, if you must, or Shirogane."

"Come on, Naoto," Yukiko says. Kanji can hear her forcing herself to drop the '-kun'. "What would your grandfather think of this?"

"Nothing good, I'm sure... but that's to be expected. His grandchild is a poor excuse for a detective." Naoto kicks her heels back against the table, one for every loud tick of the clock. "Wrong gender, wrong age, all wrong. I came to Inaba to solve a simple case, but I failed to accomplish even that." She sighs, though it's more a quiet breath of air. "Quite the opposite."

"You can still stop this," Souji tells her, expression just as blank as Naoto's and equally as wrong.

She shakes her head. "No. I can't. Which is precisely why you are here."

There's something wedged in his throat. Kanji tries to swallow past it but his tongue feels thick and dry. "No way, Naoto, we're not gonna--"

"You must. Or I will stop _you_." Naoto finally looks toward him; stares down with those cold, yellow, inhuman eyes. "This needs to end, one way or the other."

"But... Naoto, c'mon! We..." He swallows again, harder this time, but the tangle's still there. "...We were friends, right?"

Naoto shrugs. "I don't know. And it no longer matters."

Everything he had left to say - all the stuff he's been thinking about for days, spinning around inside his head - becomes pointless. Kanji chokes down the bile in his throat and darts forward instead; ignores Souji's order to stop; reaches out his hand to grab Naoto by the shoulder. His fingers pass straight through.

* * *

**[then]**

At first Kanji's embarrassed when Naoto catches him down by the river. He's told her he makes dolls, even shown her a couple, but he's never mentioned giving them away for free just because he felt bad for some dumb kid. Still, far better her than Yosuke. Better Naoto than anyone, come to think of it.

"Your mother told me you were here," she says, stealing a curious glance at the bag in his hands.

"Y-yeah. She likes you. Says you're a good influence."

"Ah. She's...very kind." Naoto looks away - but curiosity wins out, and her gaze soon moves back to the bag. "What's inside?"

Kanji winces. "Uh. T-toys. There...there's a kid gonna meet me here. Made some dolls for him."

"He is paying you?" she asks, one eyebrow quirked.

"No way!" he snaps, then catches himself. "Sorry. I, I wouldn't make a kid pay, c'mon." He shrugs. "Dummy lost a friend's doll in the river. So... I made new ones."

Naoto stares at him. "Why would you give your work away for free?"

Kanji blinks. "Uh... well, I felt bad for him, y'know? Just a kid." Naoto just keeps staring at him, and his hands tighten around the bag. "Didn't mean no harm."

"But it was his mistake!" The glare Naoto shoots him could freeze lava. "You are encouraging his idiocy."

"Naoto, he's a _kid_. Kids do dumb stuff!"

She opens her mouth to speak - just as the boy comes running along the bank, waving at Kanji most of the way. Kanji waves back. At the edge of his vision, Naoto moves away towards the steps.

The exchange is pretty brief - mostly the kid saying thank you, because Kanji isn't all that good at talking - but they're both happy and the boy even says that his friends want to buy dolls too, Mister Tatsumi should sell them in his shop. Kanji grins and points out it isn't really _his_ shop, but he'll see what he can do.

After the kid leaves, Naoto walks back over. "That was good of you," she murmurs.

Kanji just rubs the back of his neck, trying to keep the heat from rising to his cheeks.

"I apologize for my words earlier," she continues. "I...I'm just tired."

"Yeah. Y'look it." And she does; pale skin and dark circles under her eyes, even though she tries to hide them with the brim of her cap. "Always do. What's up?"

She hesitates, quickly glances at him, then looks away. "Nothing. I simply dream a lot."

"S'always been like that?" Kanji asks, brow furrowed.

Naoto shakes her head. "Only since the summer."

* * *

**[now]**

Kanji's supposed to have a handle on his temper by now - and he's ashamed at how long it takes Rise and Yukiko to calm him down. But hell, the whole team's jittery, especially since they don't know how to leave the room. They can go back the way they came, but other than that they've hit a dead end.

Yosuke stares at the wall, eyes narrowed. "Guys, I've seen this stuff in movies. There's always a secret passage in the old mansion, right? Naoto probably goes for that sort of thing."

Chie nods and agrees. "Yeah, we have to pull a book or something. C'mon!"

Each of the team moves along the shelves, tugging at leather spines. Half-an-hour later, they've made their way round most of the room - but nothing's moved. Kanji curses out loud for the third time, Yosuke's been muttering under his breath for the past five minutes - and Yukiko lets out a frustrated sigh, which turns into a yelp as the wall-lamp she leans on clicks and moves down under her weight. As a hollow rumble of wood scraping against metal echoes through the room, the shelf next to the clock pulls back from the wall to open up a path.

Green light spills through the opening - and Yukiko blinks in surprise. "Oh. I--oh."

Chie slaps her on the back and forces a smile. "Good job, Yukiko!"

When they walk through the gap in the wall, they're back in the lab. The wood and ink of the study gives way to metal panels, red flags hanging on the walls and the grinding sound of machinery deep below their feet. But something's different; as they walk down the corridor, some sections of the wall have vanished into fog, and others are stark black and white. They pass by rooms that Kanji's sure used to be full of junk - computers, levers, monitors - but now hold only empty space.

"There's something wrong." Rise's voice is strained. "This isn't like last time. It's falling apart."

They walk further. Steel tables start showing up inside the rooms, like the one in the laboratory where they fought Naoto's Shadow. Yukiko and Rise gasp at the first one - the faceless corpse on top, slashed and splayed open from groin to throat with drill holes puncturing its limbs - but by the fourth everyone just tries not to look. Though the bodies scare the shit out of him, what bothers Kanji far more is the way this world's changing. It looks half-formed. Further inside, what's left of the walls and floor turns from textured metal to stark black and white outlines. Soon they're just walking through abstract shapes, binary polygons in place of doors and railings.

The bodies he can understand. He remembers Naoto's Shadow; drills and scalpels and 'procedures', desperate to fix something she never could. The empty space is different.

"We're getting closer," Rise tells them, as her fingers curl tight round the hem of her shirt.

* * *

**[then]**

Kanji knows Namatame's a sick bastard - he has to be, to have killed Naoki's sis and that TV announcer - but kidnapping little kids is a whole other level. Worse yet, kidnapping Souji's cousin. Nanako's hung out with them before; Kanji remembers buying her soda at the food court. She's crazy about Rise and he swears Chie and Yosuke squabble twice as much when she's around just because it makes her laugh. And Naoto, who never really seemed to know what to do around Nanako, is the one who's most rattled now she's back. Has been ever since they caught Namatame on the stairs in Heaven. Back in the hospital corridor Kanji had to practically yell at her to get her shit together - because if he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn she was--

...No way. Naoto doesn't do that.

But Kanji still can't help feeling bad, even though he knows he was right. The others are all drifting home in twos and three and none of them can tell him where she is. In the end he finds Rise, who always seems to know what everyone else is doing, and she says she saw Naoto take off towards the rear doors of the hospital.

Finding his way through the empty white corridors doesn't take long. Kanji braces himself against the cold burst of night air as he walks through the glass doors - and instantly spots Naoto outside, leaning against the rough concrete wall of the building and staring out over the parking lot.

"Sorry," he tells her.

Naoto doesn't answer.

"You, you were just blaming yourself. Self-pity ain't helping anyone."

"You don't get it," she snaps. "You...you were right, but...you don't understand." Her voice cracks on the last few syllables and she squeezes her eyes shut.

"I do, okay? I'm worried 'bout her too."

"No, you don't, you can't and you won't be able to. I, I had to, I...it was my--"

And now he thinks she really _is_ going to cry and that isn't Naoto at all, even with everything that's happened. Kanji pulls her towards him instead, hands clamped firmly on her shoulders, and dips his head towards her before he has chance to think.

It's his first kiss, maybe hers too, and it's brief and clumsy - their teeth knock together on his first try, and the second's only a little smoother - but that's fine, because after months and months of being afraid, he's finally done it. And after just a moment's pause, Naoto kisses him back.

When he breaks it off her hands are clutching his shirt and her cheeks are flushed red. He thinks maybe she'll push him away, but she doesn't move. "You--"

"I..I just w-wanted to do that," Kanji blurts out. "Y'know, if-if it was okay." Shit, he probably should've _asked_ first.

But Naoto doesn't cuss him out. Just presses her head against his chest and mutters something about not wanting him to get hurt. Kanji grins and tangles his fingers in her hair; the only part that could've hurt is over.


	2. Chapter 2

**[now]**

Moving through the lab, they don't even hit any Shadows. Naoto must be making it easy for them, Kanji decides, so they can come in and get her - meaning all that training was a waste of time. She's been in here for ages waiting for them and she doesn't take good care of herself and he should've just told Souji to shove it and come in alone. They could've talked. He doesn't think about the way this place is falling apart into black and white and empty spaces, just like he doesn't think about what Naoto said and the things she told them she did - because he's sure there's another explanation.

Yukiko's hand curls over his arm. "Kanji-kun. Are you going... will you be able to do this? Do you want to go back?"

Be stupid for him to do that, he almost snaps. Naoto'll need him. "No way. It'll be better this way. I'll talk to her."

"If...if you're certain."

Course he is, Kanji tells her. Then he swallows hard, ignoring the hot coils tightening in his stomach.

* * *

**[then]**

When they catch the killer, nobody's in the mood for celebrating. Nanako's still lying in a hospital bed and Namatame'll probably get off with a kidnapping charge. And Souji, poor bastard, he's still going home to an empty house every night; the team needs to do something for him.

The idea is that one or two of them will go to his house every evening to make sure he isn't alone. Naoto's the one to propose it, which surprises everyone. Perhaps they can cook for him, she says, looking at Kanji and actually smiling.

"Hey...that's a good idea," Yosuke says, then winks. "Guess you have 'em sometimes, Naoto-kun. Although won't Kanji get jealous if you're hanging out with Souji?"

Luckily, Souji isn't there. Naoto's cheeks turn red and Kanji thinks, well yeah, he might. And he does, because for some reason it's Naoto who visits Souji most. Kanji goes with her a few times and she's a different person: tries to make conversation, tries to listen, just makes a damn effort. Something she's never done with him. Figures; Souji's had every damn girl in town chasing him at some point, even though he always turns them down. But Naoto's supposed to be different.

"She's interesting," Souji tells him, one time when he's visiting alone.

_Step off,_ Kanji thinks. Instead he nods.

Souji continues. "She's even hanging out with the other girls now, even if they have to badger her into it. Couple of weeks ago she barely spoke to them. Very sudden change."

"Y-yeah."

There's a long pause, before Souji's expression lightens. "Guess you're a good influence on her."

* * *

**[now]**

Sometimes they're almost walking on fog; just a thin, translucent white path under their feet. Their footsteps make no sound and the air's cold and still. Worlds reflect their owners, Kanji remembers, and stops thinking right there.

Chie shivers. "You sure Naoto-kun's here, Rise?"

Rise nods. "Himiko's tracking her. She's definitely nearby."

The weird thing about the fog - and Kanji's experienced this back in the real world, too - is the way you start to see things. Stare at it long enough and your head starts trying to put it all in order: shapes, objects, sometimes people. He's gotten used to it. Just seems like it happens more here. He hears Yukiko gasp at one point, then Teddie asking her if she's okay. Fine, she says, she just thought she saw something. Same thing happens with Rise a few minutes later. Yosuke's the next, cursing under his breath and staring firmly at the ground.

Kanji falls into line alongside Yukiko, matching her pace. "What'd you see?" he whispers.

"...Naoto-kun. She was jumping in a television. But it wasn't at the hospital. It...looked like the police station." Yukiko shakes her head and smiles tightly. "Silly, right?"

Probably. Everything's weird here. Kanji tries to focus on the fog, figuring that the harder you look, the more you remind your brain what it is, the less likely you are to see something.

Doesn't work. He focuses, focuses, sees Naoto. She's standing in front of something - no, someone, and they're even smaller than her but they're facing away. A room slowly forms around them: a low table, a sofa, a television on a stand, and they aren't just shapes in the fog. It's like he's there, watching some old film in monochrome. Within moments he recognize the place as Souji's house, realizes he knows the small figure standing opposite Naoto too - and all he does is watch as she darts forward, picks Nanako up and shoves her through the television screen.

It's over in an instant. Nanako barely even has time to cry out. Naoto just stands there for seconds afterward, palms still raised - before she finally takes two steps back from the television, turns, then walks slowly towards the front door.

After that, Kanji doesn't see anything else. He doesn't want to. Everything just dissolves back into grey - and when he turns around and sees the set of Souji's jaw and Rise's wide eyes, he knows he wasn't the only one watching.

* * *

**[then]**

They're running out of time, or at least Kubo is. The cops still believe he's guilty - even Dojima-san, going by what Naoto's said.

"Kubo killed Adachi. No-one else." She's been repeating this for months. It's the same statement every time and she won't even consider another theory. The conclusion makes sense and the cops definitely treated her like crap, but Kanji can understand why they got pissed at her.

"I know," he says, then grimaces. "But if we can't prove it soon, they'll close the book. It's the frickin' media. Did everything they could to make him look like a born killer." Then he smiles and offers her another animal cracker. "Treated you pretty well, though. Heartthrob Detective Prince, solving Inaba's mysteries."

Naoto's cheeks flush red, and she tugs at the brim of her cap. "Hardly." She hesitates. "My role in this case only became significant after Adachi's death."

It's a weird thing to say. The case was officially over soon as they brought Kubo back into Junes and the police picked him up. Naoto even came with them, and looked just as surprised as the other cops to see a group of kids capture a killer. After that the media went wild over her, the boy detective who solved the serial murders; even if it wasn't really true.

Naoto shakes her head suddenly - thinking too hard again, Kanji guesses - then takes a cracker from the box.

It should be raining this time of year. The drops would be hammering against the top of the pagoda right now and they'd be sitting here with snacks and hot drinks from the vending machine. Maybe even at the store instead; there's something really nice about sitting indoors, watching the rain. Instead it's just fog. Been like that for weeks. Maybe that's why everything's been so strange lately.

When he glances sideways, Naoto's twisted to one side and staring through the railings at the fog. She's got that blank look again, so he puts his hand over hers. She still spends a lot of time at Souji's house but just as much time with Kanji, who doesn't know what to think.

"Namatame isn't...we shouldn't be quick to judge him," she mutters. Her thumb strokes over his.

"He's a murderer," Kanji insists, with a shake of his head. "Worse than Kubo. And he tried to kill all of us, you too."

Naoto just keeps looking at the fog - so Kanji takes her chin in his hand and tilts her head towards him to kiss her. She returns it, but he still gets the feeling she isn't paying attention.

* * *

**[now]**

"She actually did it," Yosuke mutters. "We trusted her for all this time and she was just a--" Then Souji shoots him a glare and he falls silent - just in time to prevent Kanji from punching him in the face.

They keep walking. There's one more vision - Naoto doing the same thing to a larger figure, Mitsuo Kubo, except this time the room is darker and she trips him up rather than pushes him. Same empty expression afterward and same slow slow walk to the door. It isn't a surprise, not after the first one, but Kanji's stomach still twists.

He knows there's a good reason, that Naoto'll tell them when they reach her, that it's her world making these pictures so she must want the team to see them. But still.

Some time later - minutes, hours, he can't be certain - Chie breaks the silence. "Do you think Naoto-kun..." She hesitates, biting her lip. "I mean, Saki-senpai and--"

"Shut up!" Kanji snaps, his fists clenching on reflex. "Naoto wasn't in town then, couldn't have happened so don't even think it, alright?"

Yukiko gasps, Yosuke steps in front of Chie - and Chie herself just looks angry and hurt.

"She can't be blamed, Kanji."

The voice comes from behind him, smooth as ice and horribly familiar. Kanji swings round, hands still balled into fists - leaving him staring straight into Naoto's yellow eyes as she stands a few meters away.

* * *

**[then]**

Then, one night in December, Nanako's gone.

In the private hospital suite, Namatame folds in on himself, babbling and sobbing. The television's silent, his Shadow gone.

It was Naoto's idea, but Yosuke's been the one pushing everyone to take action. He's already made up his mind and Kanji agrees - but Souji still looks torn. It's grief, he isn't thinking straight, otherwise it'd be obvious what they have to do.

"Dammit, I've heard enough of this bullshit!" Yosuke snaps. "Give me a straight answer!"

Souji doesn't say a word. Just looks at him, then Kanji, then Namatame. And Kanji thinks, come on, how hard is it? They can't put things right, not now, but this is the closest they'll get to justice.

Yosuke's jaw tenses. "Fine. Kanji, help me throw this bastard in."

Rise shakes her head and grabs Naoto's arm. "No, this isn't right! Naoto, we have to..." But Naoto pulls away, gaze dropping to the tiled floor.

Kanji nods to Yosuke - and they both move either side of Namatame, each grabbing one of his arms and hauling him up. Then, as they start dragging him over the tiles, Souji snaps back to life. "All of you, _calm the hell down!_"

"Oh, now you've got something to say?" Yosuke's voice cracks with anger. "Come on, this bastard killed Saki and Nanako!"

Souji shakes his head. "No, no...there's something _wrong_ about all this. I just...I can't tell what it is."

Kanji glances at Naoto - standing at the back, face impassive - then says, "We got no choice."

Yosuke's grip loosens; Namatame's weight slips. "Souji. This is our _only_ chance."

"Yes, but...I don't know. There's..." He trails off, stares back at Namatame.

"Souji is correct." It's Naoto's voice, firm and clear as she steps forward. "We shouldn't act rashly."

Kanji doesn't get it. Naoto was the one to suggest this to start with and now she's getting cold feet? "This ain't rash! We're just--"

"Kanji. It would be murder." Her voice softens. "You're better than that."

"Naoto's right," Chie adds shakily. "You too, Yosuke."

"But we have to do this! The conviction'll never stick!"

Nobody speaks. It's the truth; it'll be a kidnapping sentence, not murder.

Finally, Naoto breaks the silence; her voice low and level. "All this rests on our trust in Namatame's Shadow and our belief that he murdered the first two victims. And," she adds, the words slow and deliberate, "our assumption that he kidnapped Nanako."

"But he did!" Yosuke snaps. "Dojima drove after his van!"

"And Nanako was never seen inside or in its vicinity. Ask yourself this: why would Namatame have kidnapped her? There was no chance to 'save' Kubo after seeing him on the Midnight Channel, yet he returned unharmed." She gestures towards Namatame, who's still curled between Yosuke and Kanji, whimpering and babbling under his breath. "His role as savior became unnecessary."

Souji's still their leader, even if he's choking - but when Kanji glances at him, ready to ask what he wants, he's wearing an expression that's impossible to decode.

"Naoto-kun's right," Yukiko says. "I...I know everyone's angry, I am too. But we haven't heard Namatame's side."

"Do we need to?" Yosuke snaps.

"Yes," Souji insists, looking Yosuke straight in the eye. "Put him down."

*

It takes them a while longer to hash things out. Yosuke's still pissed and Souji's distant and nobody's really sure what to do next. Naoto points out that the cops never found a motive for Namatame killing Mayumi Yamano, even after taking every angle they could, but other than that she's silent. Which just isn't like her; she's usually the one to organize things out loud, come up with theories, all that stuff.

Kanji doesn't understand any of it. Everything was so much simpler when they were just gonna throw the guy in. Now it's all uncertain again, and all he's ever been good for is smashing stuff.

Yosuke's just started up on another rant, when a nurse comes running up the corridor. "Seta-san, you need to come with me," she tells Souji breathlessly. "Nanako-chan came around!"

*

Later, they all roll home in small and happy groups. Yosuke's smiling for the first time that night, even though Chie's already squabbling with him, and Yukiko and Rise can't seem to make up their minds whether to laugh or cry or both. Nobody mentions what happened earlier, what they almost did, because now it isn't important.

The only people who aren't smiling are Souji and Naoto. Souji puts on an effort whenever Yosuke nudges him in the side and says everything's going to be fine, they'll figure things out - but it doesn't reach his eyes. Naoto, meanwhile, isn't saying or doing much of anything. Kanji turns to her as they walk side-by-side down the corridor. "Things went right, yeah?" he says. "S'amazing."

She nods. "Miracles do happen," she agrees - but when she smiles up at him, he can't help noticing it's just like Souji's.

* * *

**[now]**

"I haven't prepared a speech, I'm afraid, but I believe I owe you an explanation." Naoto tips down the brim of her cap - like she does when she's tired or shy or embarrassed - and a dull pain pounds in Kanji's chest.

"We've seen what you showed us," Souji tells her. The others flank him, a few steps behind, all standing in silence. "There's little to explain."

She nods. "Perhaps not. But you need to know, I didn't kill Yamano and Konishi."

"So who did?"

"Adachi."

Souji shakes his head. "Adachi's dead, Naoto. Kubo killed him."

"After the first two murders." Naoto wraps one arm around her side. "I know it was Adachi. The evidence all points to him. And I had a dream, the night after his body was found."

"Y-you're crazy." It comes out a stutter, like Kanji's mouth can't remember how to make the words. "C'mon, Naoto, you're a detective, you, you wouldn't believe in a dream!"

Naoto turns toward him. "If you'd seen it, Kanji, you would know." She shakes her head, then stares at the fog below her feet, yellow eyes hidden by her cap. "Yet the police were willing to accept Kubo's confession. I couldn't allow that. It wasn't the truth."

"...So you pushed him in to make us realize he wasn't the real killer."

Naoto lifts her head and gives a brief nod. "But you didn't _understand._" She rolls her eyes, lips twisting into a sneer. "Imbeciles. If Kubo was the killer, he'd have known full well people died in there."

"Shut up!" Yosuke snaps. "Don't judge us, not when you--"

But Souji cuts across him, though his voice is perfectly, almost terrifyingly calm. "And because everyone still thought he was guilty afterward, you jumped in yourself."

"Yes. There was no other option. I trusted you would rescue me and allow me to join your group."

Rise steps forward. "But Naoto-kun, we, we knew it wasn't Kubo after that," she says, voice high and strained. "Why Nanako? Why another person at all?"

For the first time, Naoto's expression shifts slightly - not placid, not cold. Something unfamiliar instead, and almost desperate. "I had to," she insists. "I didn't...there was no real choice, not by then." Then she looks at Kanji, _keeps_ looking at him, till he has to turn his head away.

* * *

**[then]**

By mid-December, Naoto quits coming to school.

She won't answer her phone either and on the second day Kanji starts to panic, because she never said anything about going back to the estate or starting a new case or any reason she'd be skipping school. So he cuts class himself - it's only history, bunch of dust and dead people - and catches the bus to her apartment. Only an idiot surprises someone who carries a gun, so he keeps texting her on the way there. She doesn't reply.

Kanji walks up the narrow apartment stairwell then knocks quietly on the door. Naoto always keeps the door double-locked, always looks through the peephole before answering. _Better to be cautious,_ she told him. Maybe she was right; something must've happened. Doesn't look like anyone broke in, but who knows, maybe she's hurt or even--

He knocks again, this time much harder - then again a few moments later. It's not until the fourth - when he's positive he's going to smash the damn door - that Naoto finally answers. She stands there, just looking up at him. "Kanji-kun."

He frowns. "You didn't come to school."

"I was busy."

"I was worried!"

She shrugs, then turns away and walks back inside. Kanji curses under his breath as he follows.

Her apartment always looked empty but now it's stripped bare. There are five cardboard boxes in the center of the room, each neatly labeled in black marker pen - and his stomach lurches, like he just jumped out the window on the far wall. He swallows. "You, uh...you going away?"

"Soon. I want to leave things in order."

His jaw tightens. "You didn't say."

"I didn't see the need."

Kanji chokes down the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake her till she understands what she's doing. Instead, he says, "Should've. I-I figured you'd have a reason to stay, right?"

Naoto pauses. "No, I don't think so."


	3. Chapter 3

**[now]**

"You didn't _have _to do anything," Yosuke snarls. "And all you did was lie to us, start to finish!"

"No. I honestly wanted to solve the case at first, I promise." Naoto turns and looks directly at Souji. "But she preys upon the weak."

Souji's eyes flicker with something Kanji can't quite place, but he says nothing. He swallows, hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Wh-who're you talking about? Who's _she_?"

"I couldn't fight her." Naoto keeps going like he hadn't spoken. "I'd already taken the first step of my own accord, the instant I pushed Kubo in." Her gaze drops to the ground. "She promised me respect. That people would see me the way they should. That was the second dream."

"Naoto, you aren't making sense," says Yukiko, low and gentle. "What did you dream?"

"There was a road, red and black." She's answering Yukiko but staring at Souji again; like he's the only other person there. "Through the fog. After the first, I could enter the television. You remember all this, don't you? You remember?"

For a long moment, Souji says nothing. Then, he shakes his head.

"You will," she insists, more resigned than confident. "The second was after Kubo, when she promised I would--" The rest stops short. "But I wasn't who she wanted. Just a late addition, a spare. And I failed. I couldn't become what Adachi would've been."

"Because we stopped you," Chie says firmly.

Naoto shakes her head. "Because _I_ stopped _you_."

* * *

**[then]**

Kanji's working at the shop the following afternoon when Souji calls. Nanako's still in a coma, he says, but the doctors say her vital signs are much better. He wants everyone to meet at the hospital - and he wants Kanji to bring Naoto.

Kanji tells him he's got no problem with that, except Naoto's capable of getting there herself and she'll be pissed as hell if he shows up to babysit her.

"Just trust me," Souji says quietly, then hangs up.

When Kanji shows up at her apartment, hands shoved in his pockets and feeling like an idiot, Naoto doesn't get mad. Doesn't ask why Souji sent him, doesn't look surprised.

"It's cold out," he tells her, gesturing at her thin jacket. "Should put on a scarf or something."

"I don't think that will be necessary - but thank you." Then she takes his hand, tucks hers in against his glove, and leads him down the steps.

By the time they reach the hospital, everyone else is already there. The atmosphere's completely different from last night; almost like they're back in that room, with Namatame curled on the floor and cold air blowing through the open window.

"Hi, Naoto." Souji stands in the center of the corridor, flanked by the team; face expressionless.

Naoto nods. "Senpai."

"I've been thinking about something," he tells her. "So I wanted to ask you some questions."

"I'm sure," she says - and Kanji feels her hand slip out from his grasp.

"You said Namatame had no reason to kidnap Nanako, because he'd seen Mitsuo return safely." Souji pauses. "You know what that means, right?"

Naoto nods again.

"Was it a slip, or a hint?"

"I don't believe that's your real question, Senpai."

There's something wrong. Kanji doesn't understand any of this. He tries to resist the urge to take Naoto away, make Souji stop asking stupid questions, get someone to explain what the hell's being said.

"No. It isn't." Souji pauses. "Who threw Nanako into the television?"

Naoto just stares at him. "You've worked that out, haven't you?"

No. No way.

Kanji tries to swallow, can't, because this is when everything gets ripped inside out. "No, no, no," he stutters, stuck on that one word like it's lodged in his throat. "It, it wasn't you, it wasn't, you ran to the house and--"

"Namatame was there when I arrived," Naoto says quietly, one hand playing with the collar of her shirt. "I told him the police would arrive shortly, and threatened to shoot him. He ran. I didn't believe him foolish enough to jump in the television."

Chie gasps. "Then you--"

"Yes."

Souji tilts up his chin, expression perfectly level and terrifyingly blank. "And Kubo?"

"Yes."

"You - I didn't believe Souji, I didn't - but you--" Yosuke, shaking with anger, is barely able to speak. "You were--"

But Naoto's already backing away, step by step. She glances at Kanji, and he thinks he should do something here, he's supposed to--

Rise darts forward. "Naoto-kun, wait!"

The scene shatters - and Naoto spins on her heels and breaks into a run down the corridor.

* * *

**[now]**

"The original plan was for you all to throw Namatame in. I would suggest the idea and your own rage would see it through." Naoto doesn't look at any of them, just at the fog. "You would never suspect me, especially after I made efforts to befriend you all."

Rise gasps. "Wait, you mean you--" She glances from Naoto to Kanji to Chie and Yukiko. "We were friends!"

For the first time, Naoto face creases in anger. "You three claimed me as your own," she snaps, with a sweep of her hand towards the three girls. "I'm _nothing_ like you! Not weak, not pathetic, not pitiful."

None of them answer. They just stare, eyes wide, mouths open.

She turns to Yosuke. "_You _did nothing but tease me to mask your own insecurities. Not as useless as you claimed, am I?"

"No, you're worse," Yosuke spits, "I should've--"

Then Teddie. "You are an anomaly, nothing more."

Teddie, half-cowering behind Souji's back, clutches at the sleeve of his shirt and shivers.

And finally, Naoto turns to Souji himself. "And you, Seta - _you_ are what I could have been, should have been, if I hadn't been born--" She stops short. Her hands ball into small fists. "If things had gone _right_." She says nothing about Kanji - just glances at him quickly, then looks away from them all again, back into the fog. He isn't sure if that makes it worse.

"But, despite all this, everything--I, I honestly wanted to be your friend." She tugs at her cap again; the gesture's still achingly familiar, but this time it rings true. "I wanted to try. You all treated me well. But it wouldn't work."

"Just like your Shadow," Souji says, shaking his head. "Back and forth. Two conflicting desires."

He's right, that's the worst part. Kanji thinks he should have seen this coming. Naoto might've kept the truth wrapped in so many lies that even her Shadow couldn't untangle it - but it said enough, if only they'd been paying attention.

Naoto nods. "I believe it was accurate. And I believe that is why I failed so badly." She lifts her hands and splays her fingers, inspecting them closely. "Weak in body, weak in mind."

"No, no you're not." Kanji insists, stepping forward, jaw tightening. "You're strong, Naoto, you can stop this."

"I've already committed my crimes. Attempted murder, two counts. Almost three."

But that isn't _her_. Naoto doesn't do that stuff; she's smart, together, more than anyone Kanji's ever known. "But Adachi was the only killer," he persists, because she's still wrong and all he has to do is make her see it. "Namatame, Mitsuo, Nanako, they're all fine. You didn't--"

Her voice is thin and shot through with desperation. "I _would _have, Kanji. I took my actions knowing full well that was the most likely outcome. As did Adachi."

"But the difference is you--"

"There is no difference, Kanji. None at all."

Kanji wants to say, _of course there is, and there was one big thing that should've stopped you from doing this._ The words die on his tongue. Instead he watches her, hammering heart trapped in his throat.

Naoto folds her arms; eyes already glowing a deeper yellow. "Adachi once told me that people with talent had a magic ticket. That they were guaranteed success." She shakes her head. "They aren't. It's nothing to do with talent. Everything is purely perception. And I will never defeat that."

Chie cuts in. Kanji had almost forgotten the others were there. "Look, Naoto, we know you never got what you wanted from the police. They didn't take you seriously. But we do."

"Your approval means nothing." Naoto sighs, more a breath of air than a sound. "And I think we've reached an impasse."

There's the sense of something slipping through his fingers, no matter how hard he tries to keep it or how tight he holds on. "No, no. We haven't, Naoto, it's okay, I promise. We can just go back, yeah?" Of course they can, she understands that, it's not like they need to do this and she's never liked things that aren't necessary. "I promise, we can just--"

"I'm tired, Kanji. I can't do this anymore." And there's something in the way she says it that makes him want to run forward, pull her towards him and not let go, not even if it means--

"Naoto." Souji's voice is almost gentle. "Do you regret your actions?"

She draws in a breath that she never lets out. Her arms and legs are already swathed in black. "I can't answer that. I'm sorry." The black smoke climbs higher, twists around her as her eyes glow brighter - and the fog cracks with light and the roar of rushing wind, shattering glass.

Naoto drops to her knees, her Persona hovering in the air behind, but it isn't Sukuna Hikona. It's like one of Souji's, Kanji thinks, though he can't remember its name. Metal helmet and a spear, except it looks different; stark lines again, shaded black and white, a monochrome mosaic. He sees what might be chains on its arms, what could be a blindfold over its mask.

"Izanagi," Souji murmurs.

Naoto climbs to her feet. When she speaks, the fog echoes. "Our time is up. End this."

* * *

**[then]**

But before that, before the hospital, before she tells them and everything falls apart, there's the previous night. At around five, Kanji arrives back at the store from Naoto's place and goes straight to his room. Doesn't even talk to Ma. Inside, he closes the blinds and lays on his bed.

No reason to stay. Not even him.

There's nothing to do but lay there listening to the noise of his mother moving round the store below. Probably cleaning; people are too spooked by the fog to do much shopping and she's never been one to stand still. He hears her humming to herself, the sound of the broom sweeping across the floor - but still almost misses her calling upstairs, saying he has a visitor.

"Tell 'em I'm busy!" he shouts, but he can already hear footsteps on the stairs - and then Naoto's standing in the doorway of his room.

She tips up her cap. "Forgive me for barging in."

"Door wasn't shut." He sits up, head turned away. "Why're you here."

"I...I wanted to apologize."

Kanji knows he's supposed to be angry - and he is, maybe, or he was. Then he looks back at her; arms wrapped round herself, staring at the floor, looking small.

He sighs. "C'mon, sit down."

She hesitates, just for a moment, then stiffly walks over to the bed and sits down next to him.

"I'm running out of time, Kanji. There's something happening, or it's already happened - something I need to apologize for." She takes a breath; lets it out unsteadily. "I'm sorry."

So she _is _going to leave, he thinks. "When were you gonna tell me?"

"Soon."

"Should've said before. We could've talked."

"I know. And you--you're a reason to stay." Naoto's hand tangles in the sheets. "But I can't."

A cold, heavy weight settles inside him; like a block of ice. He tries to swallow it down, but his mouth is dry. "I know the case'll be done soon. We'll figure out who really did it. But I was hopin' you'd..."

He doesn't finish the sentence though, because even if she's leaving, it's not like she'll go forever. She'll visit, maybe, or he'll go see her. He's only been outside Inaba twice, it'll be interesting. It's not like she's trying to get _rid_ of him, and that's what counts.

He flops onto his side then tugs at her sleeve, pulling her down next to him. Naoto grabs his right hand and tries to slot her fingers through the gaps between his. With the two of them lying face to face, inches apart, Kanji thinks, _maybe it'll be all right.  
_

"I'm sorry," Naoto says again.

Despite the difference in size, their fingers still fit. He twines them closer together and presses his forehead against hers. "Don't worry," he whispers. "S'fine."

* * *

**[now]**

Amaterasu's wings swathe Yukiko in fire and the air behind Souji explodes with light. Chie's down on her knees and Rise keeps telling Kanji to snap out of it, help her up, but he can't move.

Naoto clutches her head, readying another Megidola - the last one would've taken them all out if not for the barrier Souji threw up seconds before it hit - and Kanji just watches.

She still hasn't used light or dark.

He's called Ziodyne half a dozen times but only hit her on three. Rokuten Maou won't listen right. Everything's wrong, the world tilted off its axis - and he was too, right from the start.

* * *

**[then]**

The fog's turning darker outside the window, peppered with fuzzy street lights, and Ma's closing the store below. Lying on his back, Kanji stares at the ceiling.

They should get up before the last bus leaves. He needs to walk Naoto down to the stop. Then he looks down at her, curled up in the curve of his arm, head tucked against his shoulder, and he thinks, _just a little longer._

_

* * *

  
_

**[now]**

The black and white Izanagi shimmers, vanishes, and Naoto falls to her hands and knees. Souji's the first to her side, with Kanji moments behind.

"I'm sorry," she chokes out, still looking down.

_I hate you,_ Kanji almost says, thinks he _should_ say, but it freezes on his tongue before the first syllable. He's a lousy liar. "It's okay, s'okay, Naoto. Don't worry."

"Don't talk," Souji tells her. "We need to heal you before we leave." He turns, probably to call Teddie or Yukiko, but Naoto grabs his sleeve.

"L-Leave me here." She coughs and almost drops to the floor. "D-don't need to kill me. Just go."

Kanji wraps an arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. "No way. We ain't gonna leave you here, we ain't like that."

"We're taking you back." Souji pries her hand from his sleeve and squeezes it tight.

"No, no," Naoto insists, with a fierce shake of her ahead. She looks up at Kanji, eyes wide. "You, you tell him, I can't--"

"You _can_, Naoto. I know y'can."

She's always tried to hide her feelings, but sometimes the mask slips. Kanji's learned to recognize the signs: the white ridges of her knuckles, the thin line of her lips, the way her jaw tightens when she's trying not to cry. "Nothing left," she manages. "Can't go back."

"You want to face justice, right?" Souji says, slipping one arm under hers, ready to lift, as Kanji follows his lead. "Take responsibility?"

"Ch-charges won't stick."

"I know." They pull her to her feet. "But you have to face what you've done. You know that."

Naoto nods weakly. Souji returns it, brisk and firm - like he can force the strength back into her, if he just tries hard enough. He glances at Kanji, gives him this _look_, then walks away to fetch Teddie.

"I'm sorry," Kanji whispers, holding Naoto up under her shoulders. "Didn't want to fight you."

"D-don't be. My choice," she tells him, fingers clutching at his shirt. "All of it."

* * *

**[end]**

The police don't believe her, of course. Naoto insists on telling them anyway when they come to Junes. Whole story, even though it's all broken up and most of it doesn't make sense even to Kanji. When she gets to the part about throwing Kubo in the television, the two cops just stare at her. They take her away anyway, mostly because she insists, but since they won't let the team follow everyone filters off home. Rise walks with Kanji, tries to cheer him up, but she's on the verge of tears herself and none of it really works.

He doesn't sleep the whole night.

Early next morning, Souji calls. The cops checked Naoto into the hospital. Didn't know what else to do with her. Souji's somehow persuaded Dojima to pull some strings, get the doctors to let her have a couple of visitors. "Come with me to see her," he tells Kanji.

Kanji tries to talk Souji out of it; himself out of it, too. But it's an order, not a request, and he ends up in a cold and too-brightly lit waiting room all the same. Souji's sitting beside him on those stupid hard chairs they always stick in hospitals, like people don't already feel bad enough.

He heard people whispering on the bus here. Word is the Detective Prince finally cracked. Stress of the case.

"Fog still hasn't lifted," Souji murmurs, legs stretched out like he'd fallen in the chair. "I thought it would."

Kanji swallows. "Ain't you pissed?"

"Yeah. I am. More than you'd believe." He pauses. "But there's more to it. There's something Naoto knows."

"Yosuke and Chie think she's crazy."

"I don't think so. Just weak, insecure, selfish. Maybe lonely." Souji closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. "I'm not sure if that makes it worse."

Kanji, who thinks he already knows, says nothing.

"But I need to talk to her. Those dreams she was having..." Eyes open, Souji trails off to stare at the ceiling.

"You think they made her do this?"

"Not completely. I think she wanted--"

Sharp footsteps sound down the corridor. A nurse rounds the corner and walks up to their seats. "Tatsumi and Seta, correct?" They nod, and she returns it. "Shirogane-san is ready. Keep the visit brief, please."

Kanji jumps to his feet and turns to Souji - who shakes his head.

"Go see her first. And remember, Kanji," he says, looking him in the eye, "without you, it could've been a lot worse."

Maybe he's right. Maybe not. It doesn't matter, because everything still went wrong. Kanji nods once, then follows the nurse down the hall.

Naoto's in a room by herself. Not as fancy as where they stuck Namatame, but still clean and bright even with the fog pressing against the window outside. Kanji looks at the white walls, the tiled floor, the metal bedframe - everywhere except at her.

"Kanji-kun," she says shakily. She's sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. They've put her in just a t-shirt and shorts, taken away her cap, and none of it looks right.

"Yeah. S'me."

"Why are you here?"

"Souji told me you were here. Said I should come." He pauses. Shit, he might as well be honest. "And, and I wanted to."

Naoto nods. "Thank you. I, I know you hate these places."

A silence falls, the sort that Kanji thinks he can feel pressing down on him and pushing the air from his lungs.

"They'll transfer me tomorrow," she says. "Psychiatric ward. I-I think it's for the best."

"B-but you ain't crazy," he stutters out on reflex. "You're not--okay, you've done some shitty stuff, I won't deny it, but--"

"It's the only sort of justice I will face. In the eyes of the law I'm a child and there's no proof of my guilt." She pauses and bites her lip. Always does when she's nervous. Kanji's told her not to do it more times than he can count. "And maybe I _am_...unbalanced. I'm tired, Kanji, the dreams haven't..."

He sits on the bed next to her and grabs her hand. "They will, yeah? And maybe they were the reason you--y'know."

Naoto shakes her head. "Emptiness. That was what she saw. And so much of it was my own choice." She stares down at his hand, completely covering her own. "Souji is stronger. I still don't understand most of it. But he's better than me - no insecurities, no selfishness, no bitterness. Less for her to latch onto."

There's nothing he can say to that, except that he understands even less than her. When Naoto explained everything to the cops, it was just a jumble of words. Mixed up times and places and gaps she couldn't fill. The logic, the Naoto way of thinking, all of that had vanished.

"I, I'm writing something, to Nanako-chan," Naoto says, voice cracking on the last few syllables. She runs a hand through her hair, but her fingers catch on the knots and tangles. "I know she doesn't remember now. But perhaps when she's better and she's ready to know - even if it takes years."

"Yeah. I'll make sure. But you, you'll be back then."

Naoto gives him a tight smile that fades almost instantly. Again, she bites her lip. The skin's torn, like she's been doing it all night. "The ward. The new place. They--I don't think they'll let me see people, not at first."

Kanji swallows. "Later, maybe?"

"Maybe," she whispers, but she doesn't look him in the eye. So he takes her chin in his hand, just like before, strokes his thumb along her jaw - then tilts up her head and presses his lips against hers. Only a moment, it has to be, because if it's any more he thinks his chest might burst.

When he pulls back, he feels Naoto's jaw tense beneath his fingers and he swears her cheeks are wet, even if she doesn't _(_didn't_)_ do that sort of thing. He lets go, then reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a battered old pocketwatch. It's kept ticking ever since she fixed it. His old man would be amazed.

"Here." He takes her hand, puts the watch inside the open palm and closes her fingers over the top. "Look after it for me."

Naoto frowns, confused, then shakes her head. "It's yours."

"S'fine," Kanji tells her, his own hand enveloping hers. "You can give it back to me later."


End file.
